Following a series of service changes and cuts by the MTA, which is looking to bridge an $800 million budget gap, some commuters in the northwest Bronx say they are being inconvenienced and overcharged. Others say the changes have largely not affected them.

Embattled State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. angrily fired back at State Democratic leaders who formally requested that he be ousted from the party, saying he had the backing of nearly 10,000 registered Democrats.

Across the street from St. Brendan’s Church last Saturday, State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. deflected questions from reporters as he shook hands and gave out free bags of groceries to dozens of residents.

Gary Perez, a 2007 Monroe College graduate, returned to his Alma Mater on July 8, not as a student but as an NYPD officer.

On the last day of June, the sidewalks of Kingsbridge Road were filled with happy merchants, face-painted children and clowns with balloons.

It was the scene at the first annual Kingsbridge Road Kickoff, which aimed to attract shoppers and local residents with discounts and free samples from various neighborhood stores.

A listing of programs, services, announcements and events for our readers in the Bronx and beyond.

A listing of arts, entertainment and recreational events for our readers in the Bronx and beyond.

For a school named after a Cuban salsa legend, one might expect celebratory Latin jams to ring through the hallways on graduation day at the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music.

Instead, in the hours leading up to the school’s graduation ceremony last week, it was more like quiet family time. Soon-to-be graduates donning caps and gowns gathered in the classrooms of the Walton Campus school, enjoying their last few hours as a class. Between rounds of snacks and board games, the students shared their fondest high school memories.

Before 1973, the gritty, sparsely-populated, heavy-commercial feel of Webster Avenue fit nicely under the rattling tracks of the elevated train that ran from the north Bronx into Manhattan. But now, 37 years after the tracks were removed, many local residents feel the wide north-south corridor’s grimy aesthetic is outdated and in dire need of a makeover.